The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1927. OUR ROADS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1927. OUR ROADS.

The general improvement of the roads of the district of late years has been a matter on which travellers and the community generally have been disposed to rather praise than blame. It lias remained for a recent visitor to return to Christchurch and rushing to print stigmatise .some of our roads as “atrocious.” The charge "Ts baseless. The visitor in question in his remarks is very wide of the truth, and his illtimed excess of statement is to be regretted greatly. Of late years much road making machinery has been introduced into the district, and the value from the use of this adjunct to ordinary means of maintenance, has 'lieon very marked. The district has been well served too. in regard to bridges great and small. Several large structures have been erected bridging many dangerous crossings, while numerous open crossings have been piped and facilitated traffic. All road surfaces have been improved greatly and roads generally widened by the process of grading. Grading work often causes adverse comment if the work he viewed before it is completed. Grading causes the surface to he disturbed temporarily before the material can be replaced as required, and 7t was pro, baldy an instance of this process of overhaul which created the alarm in the mind of the complaining visitor Grading, however, has excellent results when completed, and that is testified to by the amount of improvements effected in all roads so treated. The roads passed over fiy the visitor and complained of so bitterly are under the care of the Highways authorities, who carry out the same system of maintenance here as elsewhere. Road making material is supposed to be more plentiful and suitable here than elsewhere generally, so that actually the results should be bettor—and we Ik>lieve they are. There is no difficulty for motor traffic to maintain a speed of thirty miles an hour, and the passengers ride in comfort in any ordinary car. Hoads to give such a result requires to he in very good repair—as undoubtedly the Westland roads are. The main south road is a case in point of the vast improvement made by the Highways authorities. Another instance is the change effected in the Ross road. Those two instances cover roads in very general use. and subject to all classes of traffic, and are examples of good surfaced roads with a solid foundation for the most exacting traffic. The volume of expenditure on roads in the Westland Highways district has steadily increased, and although it has been necessary to expend a large sum on bridges, still the roads have not been neglected nor skimpered, but receive a fair share of attention to meet adequately the needs of traffic. The unfair complaint made by' the recent visitor might he expected to warn off traffic from tho Coast, but it is expected the touring traffic this season will he larger than ever. This is due entirely to the good report which has gone abroad by other motoring visitors. North Island and other visitors passing over our roads are surprised to find such good roads in remote places where the country is rough compared with the plains of Canterbury. The touring traffic has grown from the reports of former visitors, many of whom return year after year so pleased are they with the' facilities for road traffic through the beautiful hush country of WestInn jl. Something should be done to counteract the evil of the unofficial complainant in a Christchurch newspaper, reported yesterday and we are glad to learn that the Progress Leagup has telegraphed fo the newspaper

publishing the report calling attention to the unfairness of the report circulated, in the light of the great improvements which have marked the attention of t'.e Highways authorities to the roads of the district. No doubt this and other means of counteracting the harmful nature of the report made will have its effect, and irresponsible comments will be more carefully scrutinised in the future before finding their way into public print, and doing what appears to be'a measure of deliberate harm